Thanks to my Cousin Ramakrishna Tippireddy for sharing these
details and his experience. He did his graduation and masters from India and is currently pursuing his PhD from the
University of Southern California
The Important First
Step
Before you get started with the application process, it
is important for you to be clear on why you want to do your PhD. Once you are
clear start researching about your areas of interest and search for the
Professors and research groups working in those fields. Contact the Professors
with your CV and express your interest in their work. If they like your CV they
may show special interest during the application process which makes a big
difference to your application.
PhD Application
process:
The PhD application process is similar to that of Masters (MS).
At a high level these are the key areas which will be covered in detail in the
sections below.
1) Decide on the area of research
2) Choose a University
3) Get in touch with the Academic Advisor and apply.
Application requirements:
1)
Undergraduate/Masters GPA
You can apply for PhD with a Bachelors Degree. Having a
Masters degree is not a requirement .While doing PhD, you can also get a
masters degree simultaneously. In either case, GPA is an important criterion. The
GPA from the last two years of college is the key.
2) Graduate Record
Exam (GRE) scores
GRE is also very important and different universities give
different weightage for GRE.GRE is mandatory.
3) TOEFL
TOEFL exam is required for international students whose
native language is not English
4) Recommendation
letters (3-5 depending on the university)
Recommendation letters play a crucial role in PhD admission process.
The reputation of the faculty recommending in the area of research is key for
your chances to get admission and funding.
5) Personal statement
Personal statement describes you research interests and also
demonstrates your writing skills. A well written personal statement is
required.
6) Publications
If you have any journal publications and/or have attended
any conferences it will have good weight.
The PhD process
Once, you get the admission for PhD, the PhD process can be
generalized as follows.
1) Course Requirement
Depending on your research requirement, you will have to the
course work. You will have to do 8-10 courses, if you have a master’s degree
and 15-18 courses if you start after bachelors. Some of these courses will be
counted for your Masters degree.
2)
Screening/Qualifying exam
With in first 2-3 semesters, you have to pass a screening
exam to continue in the PhD programs. This exam varies from university to university;
it is either written, oral or combination of both. It is to test if you can
continue in the PhD program.
3) Thesis Proposal
(candidature)
In your PhD programs, you need to submit a new thesis which
is novel and original research work. This is another exam in which you need to
propose the problem you will be working on for your thesis. For this you need
to form an advising committee
That consists of 5-6 faculty members. You have to convince
the committee that your proposed thesis can be completed within the stipulated
time of PhD program and is of quality research. Once you pass this exam, you
will be PhD candidate.
4) Thesis Defense
After the proposal, the PhD candidate should continue his
work towards finishing the goals set up during the proposal. When the work is
finished he has written the thesis and defend in front of the defense committee
consisting of a group of faculty members specialized in his field. After
successful defense, he has to submit the thesis to the University to get his
degree.
In the process of research work you will get to attend many
conferences to present your work and publish your work in reputed journals. It
is important to get your work published in reputed journals.
Pros and Cons of
PhD
Pros:
1) If you like research, it is very exciting to
invent/discover/find something new
2) You will have in depth knowledge about your research
area,
3) Can try for academic positions (very stable, more freedom
on your work)
Cons
1) Area of expertise is narrowed as you get specialized
2) Long time commitment (4-6 yrs)
3) Be prepared for frustrating times
My Experience
I did my bachelors and masters from India
Before coming for PhD I worked for a couple of years in India
In the application process, I searched for faculty working
in my area of research and
Also got advise from my ME thesis advisor. I contacted many
professors, and then applied to selected universities.
I am currently, in 5th year of PhD. During the PhD, I got to
attend many conferences,
Meet experts in my field and also got an opportunity to work
in a research lab. PhD duration is lot of fun if we make use of the time
properly. Some times it can be frustrating when you can't produce convincing
new results. These are all parts of PhD process.
I suggest you go for your PhD only if you are passionate for research.
PhD for the sake of a degree is not worth doing. With this I would like to
express my best wishes for every PhD aspirant.
Check the following
link for further details:
